Existing comment:
In July 1839, Cinque, a West African chieftain, led a revolt on board the slave ship, the Amistad. Although Cinque ordered the captain to return the ship and passengers to Africa, the white crew sailed into Long Island, New York, where the Africans were seized, charged with murder and jailed.
The incident received widespread attention, and John Quincy Adams, former President of the United States, argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1841, the Court ruled in favor of the Africans, and they returned to their homeland the next year.
Some antislavery supporters claimed this judicial decision supported the right to use force to defend personal freedom. |